Posted!

Join the Conversation

Comments

Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only.
This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.
You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.

You will need to register before adding a comment.
Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in.

Please be polite.
It's OK to disagree with someone's ideas, but personal attacks, insults, threats, hate speech, advocating violence and other violations can result in a ban.
If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them.

In fact, President Donald Trump’s first two weeks in office have reinforced her decision to vote for him in the first place.

“I think he’s doing what he said he was going to do,” the Okemos woman said. “I don’t think anyone should really be surprised about that.”

Trump’s orders and appointments in his first couple weeks in office have been met with widespread protests.

But some Trump voters in the Lansing area are pleased to see the president honoring promises he made on the campaign trail — the promises that won their votes in November.

"I am astonished and excited about it, astonished because we typically don’t see (politicians) on a mission to do what they promised to do," said Linda Lee Tarver, a 52-year-old Lansing woman who voted for Trump. "I find it refreshing.”

Tarver is the president of the Republican Women's Federation of Michigan and the former chair of the Ingham County Republican Party.

Trump also ordered a border wall be built between the U.S. and Mexico, promised to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, argued for a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement and vowed to work out a replacement for the Affordable Care Act.

Buy Photo

Saralee Howard poses among some of her paintings at her St. Johns home on Oct. 6, 2016. Howard is a counselor, artist, and lifelong Republican.(Photo: Matthew Dae Smith/For the Lansing State Journal)

Saralee Howard, of St. Johns, believes Trump’s orders and appointments have been unfairly dismissed by the opposition. She believes his most recent executive order has been inaccurately labeled a “Muslim ban.”

“Historically, we’ve always had immigration laws and we’ve always worked to be intentional about who came into the country,” Howard said.

“We’re careful about who we let into our lives. It’s not that we hate them or reject them.”

Brian Beauchine(Photo: Courtesy photo)

Like Howard, Brian Beauchine believes people should read Trump’s orders for themselves before passing judgement.

“I would say that’s exactly what Trump ran on,” the Williamston man said, of Trump’s “extreme vetting” order. “It’s a temporary measure. I don’t see it as permanent. I would like to see us have a good vetting process.”

Beauchine, the vice chair for the Ingham County Republican Party, said he doesn’t mind the large protests that have followed Trump’s inauguration and executive orders so long as those protests are non-violent and don’t disrupt everyday business.

"I think we should be able to protest," Beauchine said. "Free speech, it is part of what the United States is about.”

Ellen Lambright was less understanding of the ongoing protests.

Ellen Lambright with her husband, David.(Photo: Courtesy photo)

“We were devastated when the Democrats took over with Obama eight years ago,” the 59-year-old Charlotte woman said. “But this is life, you have to move on…we elected him fairly and squarely.”

Beauchine said he admires Trump’s bluntness but thinks the president needs to develop a better relationship with the press and people who didn’t vote for him.

Page agreed.

“I’d like to see him reach out a little bit more to people who don’t agree with him…because he can’t continue to govern by executive order,” she said.

Jim Mott, a farmer in Olivet, said he hopes the president makes the economy a priority in the coming weeks, especially when it comes to the renegotiation of trade agreements.

“I hope that he’ll be able to come up with a better deal for the American farmer,” Mott said.

Mott didn’t vote for Trump in the primary, but said he believes Trump is the right man for the job.

“I’m sometimes not accustomed to his style, but that’s him,” Mott said. “He’s the same as when he campaigned, and I respect that.”

Jim Mott(Photo: Courtesy photo)

Some Trump voters interviewed by the State Journal commented on Trump's blunt communication style and said they hope he gains a little more polish during his tenure.

"He’s not a politician, he has not been a politician, so he has not had the practice in being a politician," Tarver said. "It is what it is. I can appreciate the learning curve, but he’ll get there.”

Others said Trump's unpolished style and direct statements are part of his appeal.

"He’s not perfect," Page said. "We didn’t elect Abraham Lincoln here. But I believe the man deserves a chance. He did win.”

Contact Reporter Beth LeBlanc at 517-377-1167 or eleblanc@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @LSJBethLeBlanc.